State Associations Line Up in Support of STUNT

Originally designed for the collegiate market, STUNT is met with enthusiasm by state high school associations.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has endorsed STUNT, along with several individual state associations. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and the Florida High School Athletic Association have all expressed an interest in considering STUNT in their states in the 2012 season.

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A new competitive team sport that was derived from traditional cheerleading, STUNT removes the crowd-leading and focuses on the technical and athletic components, which include partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps and tumbling skills. Originally designed to be considered for NCAA Emerging Sport status, STUNT has found fans at the high school level who realize the value of a viable new sport for female athletes at a younger age.

"STUNT provides an exciting opportunity for female athletes to participate in a team sport that combines individual skills with team precision," says Robert B. Gardner, Executive Director of the NFHS. " The result provides enjoyment for the participants, coaches, and spectators.  This new sport is easily understood and fun."

"USA Cheer has created a great sport option for female athletes who are drawn to cheer," says Dr. Roger Dearing, Executive Director of the Florida High School Athletic Association. "With the advent of STUNT, a new dimension is added to this competitive arena.  We will continue to see more opportunities for our young student-athletes to exhibit creative and innovative ways to show their natural talents in these STUNT Competitions."

"We believe the new sport of STUNT will assist the member schools and state associations like ours provide a viable sport that will significantly expand the number of young women participating in sports in Washington," adds Mike Colbrese, the Executive Director for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

Todd Nelson, of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, anticipates a positive reception to STUNT in New York. "The NYSPHSAA Executive Committee has instructed the office staff to work with the New York State Department of Education to recognize STUNT as a sport," he says. "Going forward, we think STUNT may help us expand the number of young people participating in sports, in particular, our female students."

About USA Cheer

The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering (All Star), traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of STUNT. USA Cheer has three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.  

About the STUNT format
Each STUNT game will comprise four quarters in the following categories: Partner Stunts, Group Jumps and Tumbling, Pyramids and Tosses, and Team Performance. Within each quarter, teams will perform skill sequences of varying levels of difficulty, technical execution and synchronization.  Anyone who follows sports will be able to follow Stunt. Teams compete simultaneously, and the head-to-head format simplifies the scoring process, allowing fans to track the results of the competition as each round is completed. Because of the new format, teams will have records and national rankings, which will determine their post season play, much like other sports. In addition, post season play can be tracked by the fans, much like "March Madness." For more information on STUNT, visit http://usacheer.net.

For more information, contact Sheila Noone at 901-251-5959.

SOURCE USA Cheer